You can garnish the dish with your favourite nuts or seeds. (Photo by Shalini Rajani)

If there is anything that has been brutally misunderstood in the past few years, it has been that many people are gluten-intolerant. Now that I am interacting with people from so many cities and countries, I am witnessing how big the confusion has become. The problem starts when people are not diagnosed rightly and their gluten sensitivity is confused with gluten intolerance. So instead of cutting down on gluten gradually, they are asked to move to a gluten-free life overnight.

We are humans and not machines to change modes instantly. Sometimes moving to a gluten-free life needs a lot of counselling, understanding and guidance. I can go on and on talking about how we can have fun with millet. And how creative it gets if we just understand the textures of different millet rightly.

If you have been struggling to bring millet to your life, you can reach out to my Instagram profile where I have been answering a lot of frequently-asked-questions about millet. But before that, you can enjoy this simple recipe which has helped many of my participants to start their millet journey on a sweet note.

Apple Ragi Halwa

Ingredients

· 4 tbsp ragi flour (finger millet flour)

· 1 cup water or more water if needed

· 1 medium-sized apple

· 1 tbsp cow ghee

· Organic jaggery as needed

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Enjoy this simple recipe that has helped many people to start their millet journey on a sweet note. (Photo by Shalini Rajani)

Method

1. Wash and peel the skin of the apple. Core and chop to pieces and add them to a blender and puree. You can blend it coarsely for toddlers. Set this aside.

2. Stir in 1 cup of water with ragi flour in a pan. Cook on a low to medium flame stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and turns glossy.

3. Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the flame. Rest for another 2 minutes.

4. Add the apple puree, ghee and jaggery. Stir to mix well.

5. Cool down and serve when it is warm. You can always garnish with your favourite nuts or seeds.

Health benefits of ragi (finger millet)

It can help protect your heart health, improve the digestive system, lower the risk of cancer, boost respiratory health, detoxify the body, optimise the immune system, increase energy levels, and improve muscle and nerve health. Ragi also leads to stronger bones, stronger teeth and helps to prevent iron deficiency. The high amount of dietary fibre keeps the stomach full for long and prevents unwanted cravings. This, in turn, leads to a minimised appetite and weight loss.

(Shalini Rajani is the founder of Crazy Kadchi and holds innovative Millets Cooking Workshops for all age groups)

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